EL NiNo

El NiNo: A Mover And A Shaker By Alexandra Bonnet To our Maestro, mi hermano, to El NiNo. NiNo, a Puerto Rican artist who beautifully weaves his heritage and the natural beauty of his homeland into his artwork, touching the hearts of many—including mine! In 2023, things were getting pretty serious with my partner, Reno, and he invited me to join him for his second consecutive Burn. “We helped build this giant fish with recycled pizza pan scales on the playa, the Burning Man playground, in 2022…and the artist, NiNo, is looking for a new crew to do it again. Would you like to join?”

Not long after, I was filling out the questionnaire and within less than 12 hours, I was on a phone call with the mysterious artist named NiNo Alicea. We instantly clicked. He recognized my superpowers before I did and by the end of the phone call, I was part of the Parliament Art Crew. In just a few months, I would pop my Burning Man cherry and build a giant fish for Black Rock City.

Born and raised on the beautiful island of Puerto Rico, NiNo was nineteen years old when he made his way to the United States. What began as a year abroad ended up being a thirty-five stay adventure– that is still going to this day. “When I was in Puerto Rico, I was always attracted to TV and film. I was not into numbers like my siblings.” he chuckled. Bright eyed and eager to leave the nest, NiNo worked hard to save enough money so he could join the National Student Exchange Program and study at Indiana University. He convinced his best friend to join him but when the program ended, he was the only one who stayed behind to complete his Fine Arts BA in Graphic Design at IPFW. After graduating, he moved to Los Angeles where he has resided ever since. “Now, looking back through my googly nineteen year old eyes living in PR, I realize that I had island fever and wanted to explore and see more,” he opened up.

It goes without saying that hard work is essential to make it in your early twenties– especially in a city like Los Angeles where the hustle and bustle never stops. NiNo took on many, MANY jobs and made his way around the hospitality business. Living in the heart of the film industry of the world, he began a career in acting and was always drawn to the art department. One day, he found his way as a production assistant. “Once I decided to quit my job in the hotel business, I started from scratch as a Production Assistant, and thankfully, my knowledge and work ethic were recognized quite quickly,” he added.

What began as a favor to his producer friend, magically transformed into the start to a career in a world NiNo had always admired from a young age. That same producer needed assistance on remodeling Ricky Martin’s green room at the dance rehearsal hall. With a modest budget of just $500, this project allowed NiNo to truly showcase his talents, catching the attention of the show’s Artistic Director. Next thing you know, he was signing a contract to work as the Art Director for Ricky Martin’s show throughout his two-year residency in Las Vegas and Movimiento World Tour…and the rest is history. So, what was the pivotal moment when NiNo realized that art was more than a job…it was his identity?

Let’s take it back to 2015 when the young artist decided to honor his Abuela with his first official piece to Burning Man, “Got Framed.” It started as a campfire conversation, a vision, until he decided to make it a reality. The large frame embedded with a rose motif (in honor of his Abuela's name Rosamelia), hit different parts of its audience’s soul. There were ninety one roses to reflect her age and he was proudly able to share many photos of Got Framed with her. The following year, Rosamelia transitioned at the age of 92, and NiNo returned with Got Framed–adding an extra 3 feet x 3 feet wooden shaped rose to honor her last birthday, which he then placed at the Temple that year. In 2017, MÚCARO was born-first Burning Man Honoraria Art Grant. Always wanting to create a piece that paid homage to teachers, mentors and educators, NiNo dedicated Múcaro to one particular teacher: his mom, Mrs. Hilda Alicea, who taught on the island for more than 45 years and is now retired.  It was also dedicated to his island and shed a light on its environmental struggles, Múcaro was the first of many to do so.“This was the big one, this was the one that gave me the confidence and catalyst to pursue a career as an artist,” shared NiNo with passion in his voice. “I knew that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life; it became my quest.” It was also the year that Hurricane Maria tore through the island–fueling the artist’s fire within. A giant wise owl built of fueled up ember, ready to burst into flames when the time comes. The project where NiNo built his first Parliament Art Crew; where he met many individuals with whom he still shares these experiences with today. “We had a crew of knowledgeable people, the team was falling into place,organically.” 

He personally traveled to Puerto Rico after the hurricane’s aftermath, helping distribute donations throughout the island to those in need—an experience that shook him to his core. As he flew back, he felt his work wasn’t done. NiNo created a new outreach community program called “Múcaro for Puerto Rico,” in collaboration with the 2K Foundation, to refurbish a basketball court in the municipality of Loíza and make it solar-powered. The centerpiece of this initiative, “Múcaro’s Rising,” features a stunning floor mural of an owl rising from the fire, led by NiNo and painted with Loíza’s community. This creation was even recognized by CODAworx Awards as one of the Top 100 commissioned art installations of 2021! 

The years 2022 and 2023 mark the creation and reimagined version of Atabey, a giant fish made from steel and recycled pizza pans. NiNo named this piece after the Goddess of Fresh Water native to the Taíno indigenous people of the Caribbean, continuing his mission to bring awareness to the environmental challenges that Puerto Rico faces. In 2023, she was dubbed “Atabey’s Treasure." This was also the year I joined the Parliament Art Crew, the year it rained, and the year that Jessy Cusack joined the Parliament family. It was incredible. During build week, we were working on Atabey when suddenly, Nino looked up at the scissor lift and asked: “who the hell is that?!” It was Jessy Cusack. The virgin burner who decided to jump in and help a group of strangers build their 18 foot art sculpture. Once they met, Jessy shared that he was an engineer and curious if NiNo had any new ideas. You will read more about this playa magic below. Towards the end of the Burn, the rain poured in for days on the playa, and we asked ourselves: did we call on the rain building this idol to the Goddess of Fresh Water? Seeing her quite literally swim on the playa was something we never imagined–and that made it that more magical. When the rain lifted and the sun came out, we all embraced each other and sighed with such relief!  In 2024, we geared up to return to the playa but this time, we were helping NiNo in creating a whole new piece from scratch and guess who joined us? Jessy! What started as a vision in his sketchbook quickly became a beautifully crafted giant frog whose playa journey would only mark the beginning of what was to come. With Jessy, a pillar of COQUÍ and lead engineer, and a group of “many people, energy, thoughts, and good vibes,” COQUÍ evolved from hundreds of broken wooden stained palettes into a fully functional and immersive interactive experience. It transported you to Puerto Rico through the recorded sounds of coquí (the most iconic native frog species in Puerto Rico), featuring a rainforest-inspired lounge and solar-powered lights, blinking to the beat of the mating call. 

Being part of the build and witnessing Coquí’s journey from start to finish was a surreal experience. The hours and days that went into it were incredible– I mean, NiNo and Jessy were there five to six days a week, eight hours a day, with the invaluable help of our crew. Once on the playa, Coquí shined like no other: burners of all backgrounds and ages would find solace and sanctuary within the throat of the beast and admire it from the outside. Our team erupted with joy when the final piece was up and we were able to pop a bottle of champagne in honor of this moment. Each crew member truly played a vital role in bringing this project to life– as well as the second art piece NiNo spearheaded: one of the Man Base chambers named “Feed Your Head”.

After the Burn, COQÚI traveled to the Reno-Tahoe International Art Show at the Sparks Convention Center where it won BEST OF SHOW. After that, it found its new home to be displayed at The Generator in Reno, Nevada followed by a trip to the first ever Western Lights Festival. Over a few prior months, NiNo was trying to get COQÚI to the LA County Fair but the piece wasn’t selected for the showcase, initially. After a brief five-minute conversation with the artist, everything shifted—the passion behind the work spoke volumes. By the end of the call, they not only understood it, they wanted it. “When they said no, I didn't want to take NO for an answer,” added NiNo with confidence. On Friday, COQÚI was being showcased at the Western Lights Festival and by Sunday, it was headed for Los Angeles. For a couple more weeks, you can go see the majestic frog for yourself! Get your tickets to the LA County Fair and transport yourself to the land of Puerto Rico!

NiNo’s story is one of love, faith, grief, growth and so much more. Having found his purpose later in life, the artist inspires those around him to fulfill their own path and purpose. “I feel that I want to leave a legacy for people,” opened up NiNo. “I never had anyone artistic like me in my life. I would like to be that someone in someone’s life—a person who believes in your craft and pushes you.” For over eleven years, he has been returning to Burning Man, a place that gave him “permission to dream big,” and showed him that he was capable of achieving great things and dreaming big–even if he did not know it yet. 

I mentioned at the beginning of this article that NiNo found my superpowers– and he has done that for each of us, and continues to do so. He sheds light on things we didn’t know we were capable of doing. His love and support helped set others up for success and as we both teared up on the call, I shared with him just how much he has played a vital role in my own quest to find my purpose. One of the many reasons we call him “Maestro”.

NiNo’s calling goes beyond work. He feeds into the soul of his art and the soul of others. He pours his heart and soul into each relationship, each project– really, anything he sets his mind to. Knowing he has made his family proud, NiNo Alicea continues to bring art back to his island and to shine a light on his beloved island, Puerto Rico. Always moving forward, no matter what life throws at him, I have witnessed NiNo’s miraculous work firsthand and continue to learn from his experience. “Gratitude is the attitude,” he recently shared with me, and that is what I remind myself each and every day.  Follow @alexbonnetwrites for latest posts! Follow NiNo and his Artistic Journey at: @leaveittonino @coquibynino @atabeystreasure